


The Gift of the Synth-gi

by Beckyhelene



Category: Seven Deadly Synths (Short Film)
Genre: Candles, Christmas Lights, Gifts, Multi, OT3 Fluff, Octopunk Advent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:08:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28043673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beckyhelene/pseuds/Beckyhelene
Summary: Jared and Mag have stayed in good spirits regarding Seth’s fixation with getting his hands on the envy synth over the last few months. Seth does his best to make it up to them.
Relationships: Jared/Mag/Seth (Seven Deadly Synths)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	The Gift of the Synth-gi

**Author's Note:**

> Done in response to Octopunk Advent prompts:  
> Day 10: Candles  
> Day: 16: Gifts

“Careful, careful,” Mag cautioned as she balanced unlocking the door to their house and helping Jared walk.

”I’m okay,” Jared assured her. The two managed to carefully make it inside the dark house, Mag feeling especially grateful there didn’t seem to be any of Seth’s synthesizers strewn about the front hallway as there usually was.

”Looks like Seth’s home,” Mag idly commented once she let the front door shut behind them as she caught the glow from lit candles further inside the house reflected on the walls.

“You’re home!” The man in question exclaimed as he excitedly popped out into the hallway. “Perfect timing! Everything’s ready!”

”Everything?” Jared asked, bemused.

”This isn’t another.... _unique_....plan to try and break into He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named’s place is it?” Mag asked.   
  
“What? No, of course not! I-.....Why are you limping?!” Seth asked, all other thoughts quickly fleeing his head as he noticed Jared walking gingerly and Mag holding his arm to steady him as they moved to join Seth.   
  
“It’s not a big deal,” Jared replied, though not objecting to Seth rushing to his other side and both of his partners now keeping him upright. 

“A Box of soup cans fell on his foot,” Mag said, knowing Jared would continue to downplay his injury.

”What? What happened? Are you okay? Should we go to the hospital? What if something’s broken?” Seth hurriedly questioned. 

“Hospital’s all ‘been there, done that’,” Mag assured him. “No broken bones, thankfully. But the bruising’s pretty gnarly.”

”Why didn’t you call me?” Seth asked as the three managed to get into the kitchen at sat Jared down at their dining table.

”Well, I figured you were busy.....and besides, you know, the alphabet...I just got to Mag’s name on my phone before yours.....” Jared delicately replied, doing his best not to make Seth feel guilty over the subtext of his words.

Seth had been “busy” for months. Ever since that night at the club. Ever since he’d become fixated on Brian’s synthesizer. Hours were spent either coming up with ideas to somehow get ahold of the synth, or pouring over various EDM and conspiracy Discords and websites (the fact that there was a wide range of places where the two interests crossed over was surprising to Mag and Jared) for leads and rumors of the location of the other surviving “Seven Deadly Synths”.

Mag and Jared did their best to accept Seth’s focus. He’d always been highly passionate towards his interests, it was one of the things they both loved about him. The ways his eyes would light up with excitement whenever he’d talk about a new sound he’d created with his synths, his whole body vibrating with every “vrooom” noise he imitated, all of it. It was a little disheartening that the current narrowing of his focus led to him occasionally shutting them out—focusing solely on his computer and his various notebooks in front of him, to the point that they’d at times had to physically pull him away to get him to eat and engage with them—but were certain this obsession would pass soon enough. They just had to be patient, and be there as gentle reminders he had a life outside of his hunt for mythological synths.

Jared hadn’t tried calling Seth for the simple fact that he didn’t think he’d get ahold of him. Not that he thought Seth would go as far as deliberately ignoring him in a time of need—-even on days where Seth’s tunnel vision was at its worst, he never made Jared or Mag doubt his love for them. He might’ve been incredibly distracted, but somehow still kept some space in his head for his senses being aware of their needs. He would hear Jared grunt from stubbing his toe, or Mag huffing in annoyance over having trouble reaching something off of a high shelf, and drop whatever he was doing and be at their side in an instant. But things like leaving his phone in another room, or forgetting he’d turned the sound off, had been known to happen. In the end, it had just been easier to call Mag.   
  


“Busy, right,” Seth murmured. He frowned to himself, feelings of guilt over his being inattentive to the two people he loved most in the world, flooding his mind.

”Hey, it’s okay,” Mag soothed as she placed a hand on Seth’s cheek and pulled him in for a quick kiss. “Anyway, he was at the hospital near work so I was closer, it’s totally fine,” she went on to reassure him.

”Yeah,” Jared agreed. He wrapped an arm around Seth’s waist and hugged him to his side to show Seth neither of them were upset with him. The three huddled together in a sort of group hug as Seth—not for the first time—wondered how he’d been so lucky to share his life, home, and heart, with two such loving and understanding people.

”So, what exactly happened?” Seth asked after a moment.  
  


“I was doing a pick-up for a Godega order at that supermarket downtown and there was this little old lady....” Seth and Mag shared a look. Of course Jared would get himself injured helping a little old lady. “...what? She reminded me of my bubbe!” Jared defensively stated as he caught the look. 

“Hey, no judging here,” Seth said with a smile as he ducked down and kissed the top of Jared’s head. “So, little old lady....then what?”

”Well, she needed help getting something off of a shelf so,” Jared shrugged. “I helped....and then knocked over a full box of Progresso soups.”

”Oh no,” Seth sympathetically murmured as he hugged Jared a little tighter.

”Oh, it’s no big deal. At least it was my foot instead of my head, right?” Jared asked with a shrug. “The old lady and the store manager were both really nice about it though,” Jared added brightly. He shifted in his seat to reach in his pocket to produce two folded up checks and laid them out open on the table. It was difficult to see exact numbers through the candlelight, but there were certainly a lot of zeros on both checks. “Talk about the holiday spirit, right? All I had to was sign something in the manager’s office.” Seth peered at the checks and furrowed his brow. He opened his mouth to point out his concerns over Jared signing anything—likely the store covering their ass to avoid a possible personal injury lawsuit—but quickly changed his mind after Mag met his gaze and shook her head.

”Hey, all that matters is you’re okay, and you got a nice Christmas bonus,” Mag stated.

”The old lady even insisted on covering the hospital visit,” Jared added.

”Even better,” Mag genuinely replied. Jared might have signed himself out of a windfall, but at least he didn’t need to worry about an ER visit bill.

”Should we put ice on it or something?” Seth asked as he broke away from their cuddle huddle and made his way to their refrigerator.   
  


“Ha! Ice, good one Seth,” Mag said with a roll of her eyes as she remembered just earlier that week needing to dump out the contents of watery ice trays during their “feast” of eating whatever was left in their fridge before it had a chance to go bad, thanks to their electric bill going unpaid. It had led to a few unpleasant days of barely seeing Seth at all as he’d spent all hours using the power at a Starbucks for his laptop as he continued feeding his obsession.

”Oh, well, about that...”Seth began, giving his partners a small smile.

”Wait, what?” Mag asked as she went over to the fridge and opened it up. “Holy fuck,” she breathed out in shock as her face was hit with light and cold air.

”Surprise!” Seth said, throwing his arms up in what could best be described as jazz hands. “Well, part one, at least.”

”We have power? How....how is that possible?” Jared asked, leaning over in his chair to see the glorious light from around Mag.

”Please tell me you still have both of your kidneys,” Mag stated as she shut the fridge and rounded her gaze on Seth.

”It’s not a big deal,” Seth said with a shrug. “I....obtained....some money, and used it to pay off some of the past due stuff. We’re not on complete zero balance, unfortunately, but it was enough to get the lights back on.”

”Apparently not,” Jared pointed out, perplexed as to why the house was littered in candles if they had power. Seth turned to him and was ready to reply when Mag interrupted.

”Obtained....how?” She suspiciously asked. “Don’t make me look for a kidney removal scar,” she warned.

”All body parts are intact, I swear,” Seth promised. “I just...sold something.”

”Sold what, exactly?” Jared asked, now it was his turn to be suspicious.

”Your ditch weed is untouched,” Seth declared, “and besides, do you honestly think I’d swipe your stuff like that?” He asked, rather offended.

”Of course not,” Mag cut in reassuringly. “We’re just confused, and surprised, by all of this.”

”I just....wanted to do something,” Seth explained. He sighed. “I know I haven’t exactly been easy to live with these past few months. Me and my....”

”Obsession?” Both Mag and Jared supplied at the same time.

”I was going to say **interest** , but okay....” Seth grumbled. “I know it’s been a drag, and I just....wanted to do something, to make it up to both of you. To...make sure you know that I love you, and you two are the most important things in my life,” he added almost bashfully.

”Oh, Seth,” Mag sighed as she moved closer to him. “Of course we know that.” She leaned against his chest and hugged him. Seth let out a relieved sigh, somewhat mollified and having his fears the two lives of his life were about to vote him off the island erased. He laid his cheek on the top of Mag’s head as he hugged her back. They heard Jared’s chair scrape against the floor as he pushed himself up and limped over to join them. Before Mag or Seth could object and advise he sit back down, he was wrapping his arms around both of them and they were back in another cuddle huddle.

”Yeah, zero doubts here,” Jared assured Seth.

”I mean it,” Seth said. “I don’t know what I’d do without the both of you. The seven deadly synths, taking Brian down several pegs, my music, my synths, none of it would mean anything,” he mumbled in an almost word-vomit fashion.

”Your synths?” Mag asked, a frown on her face as his declaration going there suddenly made his “obtaining” funds quite clear. “Seth, how did you ‘obtain’ the money to pay the bill?” Seth scrunched up his face in reluctance—whether it was reluctance to answer the question, or reluctance to revisit the sacrifice he’d made that day, was unclear.

”I might’ve.....sold a synth....” He muttered.

”You **_what_**?” Both Mag and Jared demanded as they broke away in shock, Jared’s exclamation accompanied by a soft “ow” over putting weight on his injured foot.

”It’s fine, really,” Seth insisted as he took Jared’s arm and directed him back to his abandoned chair. 

“How could you sell one of your synths? We could’ve paid the bill some other way,” Mag said as she followed them back to the table.

”Yeah, I would’ve used some of my foot money,” Jared added, sweeping his hand to the checks on the table.

”Well, now we don’t have to,” Seth replied. He waved off the subject. “It’s done. Don’t worry about it.” He paused as he caught his partners looking at him with a mix of guilt and concern. “It wasn’t even one of the good synths anyway,” he insisted. “Seriously. The guy at the second store knew nothing. I made out like a bandit.” 

“Seth,” Mag softly spoke, concern etched deeply in her tone, “you didn’t have to do this.”

”That’s up for debate, and even if that’s the case; I wanted to.”

”You _wanted_ to sell off one of your babies?” Jared skeptically asked.

”I wanted to make up for not pulling my weight, and do something for you two,” Seth stated, growing frustrated that the subject wasn’t being dropped. 

“We never thought you weren’t-“ Mag began to argue.

”Hey, all that matters is we’re okay, and we’ve got electricity,” Seth interrupted, throwing some of Mag’s earlier words back at her. She and Jared shared a look before coming to a silent agreement and giving Seth a nod to say they would go along with leaving the subject alone.

”I just can’t believe you ‘gift of the magi-d’ us,” Mag commented with a loving smile, making Seth chuckle.

”Well, tis the season for it,” he joked in return.

”There’s just one thing I still don’t get,” Jared spoke up, causing the other two to look at him, “if you paid the bill, why are we still rocking the candles?”

”Oh!” Seth exclaimed, being reminded of the rest of what he’d set up for his partners. “That’s the rest of the surprise.”

”There’s more?” Mag asked, with a curious smile and quirked eyebrow. 

“Mmhmm!” Seth said, nodding excitedly and forgetting about his recent frustration. “Come with me.” 

Mag and Seth were at either side of Jared helping him walk as Seth led them to the living room.

“Okay, just wait right here,” he said as he briefly left them at the archway leading into the living room and continued onward to one of the end tables inside the room. He picked up a power strip and flipped the switch, bathing the living room in colored lights.

He beamed happily as Jared and Mag stared wide eyed at what he’d done, their surprised faces awash with a red and green glow coming from the string of Christmas lights Seth had done up along the walls. 

“I know we’re all a little bummed over not doing the family visits this year, seeing the Christmas trees and everything,” Seth commented, he made a small ‘oh’ sound to himself as he moved to another end table and lit a scented jar candle, giving the room a soft pine-like aroma, “well, now it’s almost like we’re there....only without Jared’s bubbe asking when he’ll make her a great-grandma for the thousandth time, or my aunt clutching her pearls when the three of us even sit together,” he joked. “Oh, shit,” he grumbled as he noticed one of the bulbs in the string of lights flickering. He unscrewed the uncooperative bulb and let it remain dark. He cringed and looked back at the others sheepishly. “The lights are kinda.....iffy....I was afraid having lights on and then turning these on would blow a fuse or something....or cause a fire....” He paused and frowned to himself. “Though I guess the candles make that kind of a problem too...” He shrugged. “I also had originally wanted to do the whole ‘Surprise! We have electricity!’ thing _with_ the lights, but oh well,” he added, continuing to explain the candles.

”This is so sweet,” Mag gushed as she and Jared walked into the living room, taking in all the lights Seth had carefully put up. 

“Christmas lights, and no awkward family conversations? This is perfect!” Jared added. 

“Aaaaand,” Seth announced, sweeping his arms to draw their attention to their coffee table where a large shopping bag sat. “I picked up dinner, from the **good** takeout place.”

”Well shit, now you’re just spoiling us,” Mag commented with a shake of her head.

”Oh please, it’s barely a thing....compared to all the stuff you two have had to put up with,” Seth demurely replied. “I wanted to do, you know... _actual_ gifts....” Seth trailed off, shamefully looking away at the unsaid fact that he’d been so distracted all these months, he didn’t even know what gifts they would want this year.

”This is perfect,” Jared declared. He gingerly lumbered closer to Seth and pulled him into a soft kiss. “Really perfect,” he sincerely added. Seth smiled brightly, pleased to see they were happy.

”Well, alright then,” Seth replied. “You two sit, I’ll go grab some dishes,”

”Uh uh,” Mag insisted, placing a hand on his chest to stop him from dashing back to the kitchen. “You’ve done enough. I’ll grab the dishes while you help Jared to the couch.”

Mag retrieved plates and utensils from the kitchen, blowing out the candles she came across on her way so as to not leave them unattended, and returned to her guys in the living room, smiling as she caught Seth fussing over Jared, helping him ease his shoes off and making him prop his injured foot on a throw pillow on the edge of the coffee table. No matter how much Seth would downplay it, or claim he hadn’t done enough, he’d given her and Jared the perfect gifts. His thoughtfulness. His consideration. His love. That was certainly better than any material gifts.

The three curled up together on the couch after enjoying dinner. Seth yawned quietly and laid his head on Jared’s shoulder.

”We should get to bed,” Mag suggested.

”Eh, let’s just stay out here tonight,” Jared replied, enjoying the festive glow around them.

”Hmm, good idea,” Seth sleepily agreed, too tired and too comfortable to think about moving.

”Guess I’ve been outvoted,” Mag chuckled good-naturedly. She left the two on the couch to clean up the dishes and leftovers, before grabbing the comforter off of their bed and rejoining them on the couch.

”Hey Seth?” Jared asked as he carefully took Seth’s glasses off of him and set them on the end table while Mag laid the comforter over them.

”Hmm?” Came Seth murmured reply.

“The second hand store you went to....was it the one across town, with the yellow sign?” He innocently asked.

“Mmhm,” Seth replied, shifting closer to Jared to allow Mag to snuggle comfortably at his other side. “Why?”

”Oh, just curious,” Jared dismissively commented. “Go to sleep,” he encouraged, dropping a kiss on the side of his head. 

Over Seth’s shoulder, Jared and Mag shared a look and secret smile, already forming a plan between them:

They were gonna buy back that synthesizer. 


End file.
